I waited nine months after withdrawing both of my daughters from St. Joseph before writing this review. I am more confident than ever that we made the right decision.
My older daughter entered St. Joseph academically at or above grade level. While there, she fell significantly behind, particularly in math, while her teacher consistently blamed her. After transferring to public school, she caught back up remarkably quickly with proper instruction and support.
We also had serious concerns about the way one of her teachers treated her, including inappropriate comments and interactions. When we brought those concerns to the administration, we felt the focus became defending the teacher rather than seriously addressing what our daughter had experienced.
Two days after we escalated our concerns to the Diocese, our daughter was the only child in her class not given lunch, and we were never notified. I cannot say whether the timing was intentional, but given everything happening at the time, it was deeply concerning. That was her last day.
We withdrew our younger daughter as well. During a field trip, a teacher transported her in a personal vehicle. Despite being of an age and size requiring a child restraint, she was placed in the front passenger seat without one. That raised serious concerns for us about basic student safety and oversight.
Parents should also understand that St. Joseph does not require its teachers to hold Hawaiʻi state teacher licenses.
Going above the administration accomplished virtually nothing. Despite being informed of our complaints and concerns, the parish and school pastor never responded to us. Not once. Zero response. We found no meaningful accountability from the Diocese either.
Our experience was academic decline, serious concerns about a teacher's treatment of our child, questionable student-safety practices, and a lack of accountability from the school, Diocese, and parish leadership.
Both of our daughters are now out of St. Joseph. Our only regret is that we didn't withdraw them sooner. read more
